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3
CITY OF WESTMINSTER
Telephone: 01 -828 8070 Health Department,
City Hall,
Victoria Street,
London, S.W.1.
To The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the City of Westminster.
My Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors,
I have the honour to present for your information my Annual Report on matters affecting the health
of the City of Westminster in the year 1970. Once again opportunity has been taken to include
comparable statistics of the previous year; they appear in the text in parentheses or elsewhere in a
separate column.
In my introduction to last year's report I foreshadowed the establishment of the Social Services
Department with the consequent transfer of some social work functions. On 1 st April, 1971, the new
department came into being and already in these early days excellent relations have been established.
In the field of mental health strong links have been retained. The Consultant Psychiatrist employed
in the Health Department has direct access to both the Medical Officer of Health and the Director of
Social Services and has a good working relationship with the social workers. His help is sought in
respect of individual cases, in fostering liaison with general practitioners and hospitals; the seminars
he conducts are contributing materially to the training of area teams, many of whose members have
not previously worked with the mentally ill. In the field of mental subnormality, a Principal Medical
Officer plays a similar advisory role.
The Health Department has been fortunate in being able to retain the services of a Principal Social
Worker who acts as liaison officer between the two Departments and who will continue to act as
secretary to an informal co-ordinating committee at which matters of mutual concern are discussed.
The Health Department is thus maintaining an active partnership in the services transferred and is
receiving in return willing and active co-operation from the Director of Social Services and his staff.
The greatest danger facing the community health services at the present time is the "planning
blight" which might be engendered by the Government's proposals to reorganise the health services
in 1974. There must be no tendency to "mark time" or to "wait and see". There is much to be done
to improve both the environmental and the personal community health services, and the shedding of
some social work should make it possible to concentrate more intensely on developments in these
areas.
It has been noticeable that, far from there being any slowing-down in the Health Department
following the transfer of services, there has been a marked increase in tempo since we are now concerned
only with the provision of health services. In the care of mothers and young children, a
recent innovation has been the extension of developmental paediatrics; in vaccination and immunisation
our efforts have hitherto been directed towards the protection of the person immunised—with
rubella vaccination our efforts are directed to protecting the unborn child.
In health visiting and home nursing, here also roles are changing. Health visitors now take a more
active part in the detection and visiting of the elderly who may need social care. Both health visitors
and nurses are increasingly being attached to general practitioners so that they may work under their
direction with the patients of the practices concerned.
District nurses are considerably helped in their work by the use of bathing attendants and the
provision of sophisticated nursing equipment, through the City Council's medical loan section, such
as electric hoists, ripple mattresses and adjustable beds. The items available are constantly reviewed
and added to as new or better models become available.